Container



Match V16, 1943. R. c. TAYLOR CONTAINER Filed sept. 2e. 1959 'Patented Mar. 1.6, 1943 CONTAINER Russell C. Taylor, Greenwich, Conn assigner to American Can Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application September 26, 1939, Serial No. 296,699

z claims.

The present'invention relates to containers for the packaging and delivery of fluids such as oil and has particular reference to a single service, tamper-proof fibre container which cannot be opened without leaving evidence of the fact.

-In certain respects, the invention constitutes an improvement upon the container illustrated and described in the John M. Hothersall United States Patent 2,985,979, issued July 6, 1937, and is especially an improvement on the top closure construction thereof which becomes in the present invention a tell-tale, tamper-proof top closure.

The invention contemplates a liquid and oilproofed container which comprises a tubular body preferably substantially square in cross section, having iiat top and bottom end members secured to the body by interfolded marginal portions constituting seamed parts which are permanently united by means of suitable liquid and oil proof adhesive to insure a leakproof container.

An object of the invention is the provision of a tamper-proof fibre container for oils and the like wherein the top end member which contains a dispensing opening, is provided with a hinged plug closure further secured to the end and body members upon sealing at the refinery by means of stitches or staples thus providing tell-tale features to prevent pilfering of the container contents without it being detected.

- Another object is the provision of such a container wherein the top end member is also provided with a tear open feature, consisting of a finger tab extending from the plugsection of the closure member to facilitate its removal from the dispensing opening while ripping the stitches or staples from the end member and severing the closure from the container.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken sin connection with the accompanying drawing, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof. I

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspectiveview of the upper part of a container embodying the present invention and illustrates a top closure member in its sealed position upon such a container;

Fig. 2 isa fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken substantially along a vertical plane indicated by the lines 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 taken substantially along the line 3--3 in Fig.- l showing a hinged closure member in 'its raised, opened position relative to the top closure member; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. l and illustrates I the top of an opened container having the hinge closure member removed.

The container illustrated in the drawing shows a preferred embodiment of the invention. The drawing shows a container of the general construction described in detail in the Hothersall patent hereinbefore mentioned. Briey the container comprises a substantially rectangular body II closed at its ends with'suitable top and bottom closure members. These closure members are similar and for the purpose of the invention only the top closure. member need be illustrated. The numeral I2 designates such a top closure member. l

The container body II is preferably formed from a single sheet of oil and liquidproof brous material folded at right angles to provide four side walls designated by the numeral I3. The edges of the sheet are joined along one of the side Walls by overlapping the short edges of the sheet to form a vertical lap side seam I4 (Figs. 1 and 4). This side seam joint is secured together by a suitable adhesive to .maize it leakproof.

Figures 2 and 3 of the drawing show in detail how the top closure member I2 is interlocked with the adjacent end of the marginal portions of the body. This is a strong leakproof joint, the body marginal portions being bent inwardly as at I5 and thence outwardly as at I6 thereby providing a ledge Il which extends circumferentially of the body. The closure member I2 is supported upon this ledge. The extreme edges of the body marginal portions beyond the ledge i1 are bent upwardly and thence inwardly over the outer edges oi the closure member thus providing opposite end flanges I8 which encircle and hold the closure member in place.

The bent parts I6, I8 of the body adjacent its end and the intervening edges of the top closure member I2 prior to being assembled have their engaging surfaces coated with a suitable liquid and oilproof adhesive I9. During assembly they are pressed together and permanently secured to form a leakproof end seam 2|.

The top closure member I2 is provided with a dispensing or pouring opening 22 (Figs. 2, 3 and 4) adjacent one corner of the container top. This dispensing opening is preferably closed by a hinged closure member 23 which is made from single ply stock and may be of similar material to|the other parts of the container. Primarily the hinge closure member 23 is attached to the dition with the plug section 25 of the hinge closure lling the dispensing opening'. This operation is carried on by the container manufacturer and the closed and empty containers are shipped in such condition to the refinery or packers plant for filling and iinal sealing. In filling the l plug, section 25 of the closure member 23 is hinged back on the staple 24 to open the pouring opening 22 through which the container is filled.

After the container is filled the drawn plug 25 Aon the hinge closure 23 may be pressed into the opening 22 to close it (Figs. 1 and 2). The shape of the drawn plug may now be slightly .altered by a suitable expanding tool to more completely seal the 'filled package. In this sealing operation a circumferential bead 26 is formed, as best illustrated in Fig. 2.

Inl the present container, the tamper-proof feature previously referred to includes further sealing of the hinge closure member 23. For this purpose staples 21, 28 are used in addition to the staple 24 for securing the closure parts together. Staples 21 and 28 are passed through front tabs 29, 30, formed in the hinge closure 23, and through the folded flange parts i6, I1 and i8 of the end seam.. '-I'his is done at the packers plant.

Provision is made for easy opening of the container when its contents is to be removed but this opening action destroys the sealed parts of the container. A finger or tearing tab 3| is used for this opening and the tab extends from the' end of the hinge cover closure 23 which is opposite to the front tabs 29, 30. The use of the tab 3| is illustrated in the partial opening of the container shown in Fig. 3. This figure shows the closure member in a raised and bent position with the staple 2d torn from the top closure member i 2.

In this opening operation the front hinge closure tabs 29, 3@ are torn across leaving the staples 21, 28 and parts of the tabs. To make such a tearing easy partial cuts or score lines 32 and 33 are made on the upper side of the hinge closuremember 23 adjacent the front edges of the tabs 29 and 30. Similar score lines are made on the reverse side of the top closure member parallel to but spaced apart from the upper score lines and these are designated by the numerals 3d and 35. The purpose of these score lines is to facilitate the removal of the hinge closure member from the container and at the same time to insure a tearing across of the front tabs, parts of which are thus left on the container as evidence that the container has been opened.

Fig.' 4 of the drawing illustrates the container top with the hinge closure member removed. Thus it will be seen that the edge portions of the hinge closure members 29 and 30 remain stapled to the edge of the container. 'I'his lgure also illustrates the split or severed sections of the remaining hinge closure edge tabs which have been torn away between the upper and lower offset score lines'32, 33, 34 and 35.

It will now be evident from this consideration of Fig. 4 that a substitute closure can not be replaced upon the container and resealed for further use since the tell-tale tabs and the remaining staples are in the way and since the elongated holes (designated by the numerals 35, 31, Fig. 4) made in the top closure l2 by the tearing away of the staple 24, cannot be easily closed without detection. Containers of this type serve as eicient mono-service containers which lnsure delivery of their contents without adulteration, thus preventing substitution of inferior contents.

vIt is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advatnages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that Various changes may be made inthe form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacricing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A tamper-proof bre container for liquids,

comprising a leakproof tubular libre body. portions of said body adjacent an end being bent obliquely inwardly. then bent horizontally outwardly in relatively sharp corners and thence horizontally inwardly in spaced relation to the said horizontal outward wall to form an end closure support shoulder and a receiving channel,

a substantially iiat bre end closure member for said tubular body having its outer annular marginal edges adhesively secured in the said end receiving channel to form an end joint. said end -member having a dispensing opening disposed adjacent one corner of the container. and a hinge closure member segured to said end closure member on one side of said dispensing opening to close and seal the latter, said hinge closure member having edge portions thereof extended outwardly over and stapled to the end joint on adjacent sides of said dispensing opening and on opposite sides of said end closure member receiving channel. to seal the latter circumferentially thereof, said edge portions having weakened sections disposed inwardly of the stapled joint and designed to be torn away when the hinge closure is removed in opening the sealed container, whereby to leave the stapled parts of said hinge closure edge portions adjacent the dispensing opening as visual evidence that the container has been opened.

2. A tamper-proof fibre container for liquids, comprising a leakproof tubular fibre body portions of said body adjacent an end being bent obliquely inwardly, then bent horizontally outwardly in relatively sharp corners and thence horizontally inwardly in spaced relation to the said horizontal outward wall to form an end closure support shoulder and a receiving channel, a substantially at fibre end closure member for said tubular body having its outer annular marginal edges adhesively secured in the said receiving channel to form an end joint, said end member having a dispensing opening disposed adjacent one corner of the container, and a hinge closure member formed with a plug section seated within and closing said dispensing open-V ing, said hinge closure member having integral I laanwas tions being stapied to said end joint on adjacent sides outwardly of said dispensing opening and on opposite sides of said end closure member receiving channel, said tab sections each having a weakened line disposed inwardly of their sealing staples, whereby a tearing away of said hinge closure member by a pulling action on said linger tab removes said hinge staple and tears across the tab sections at the said weakened lines, whereby to leave the outermost portions of said tab sections stapled to said end joint at adjacent spaced localities partially surrounding said dis- 5 pensing opening as evidence that the container has been opened.

RUSSELL C. TAYLOR. 

